4/06/2015

Hey, That's Fucked-Up (Part 1): You're Gonna Get Some Kid Shot

Oh, good people of America, you have not experienced epic weirdness until you've been to the Laotian New Year's festival at a temple in south Louisiana. Surrounded by flatbed trailers all with giant speakers playing different kinds of loud L-pop (is that a thing?) and disco, with young and old people on mikes, bouncing and singing along, drinks being handed out to the throngs of thousands without care as to age or level of drunkenness, bald monks praying inside the temples, food like rice inside of bamboo that needed to be hacked open and dozens of grills with various skewered parts on them, and so much shit for sale, the Rude Pundit saw what you see in the picture above.

Those are pretty damn realistic-looking play assault rifles. And that little kid is holding a package with a fake but scary-authentic pistol, even if it has an obligatory red trigger. This led to the sight of small Laotian and Cambodian children running around the tents and temple buildings, firing at each other and one image of a teen pointing the pistol right at the head of a seated kid, cocking it, and firing. Just to complete this incredibly uncomfortable, combat flashback-worthy scene, we were surrounded by sugar cane and rice farms.

The cops, and there were many, present seemed to eyeball the kids and teens bemusedly. But you know, in a different context, and perhaps a different race, some kid could get shot by the police over one of these things. That's not being p.c. or over-cautious. It's just the times and the place we live in.

(Note: The Rude Pundit is on one of his Red State America sojourns. So he's offering a series this week of fucked-up and strange things he sees in his pilgrimage. Also, it's easier than grappling with the news while he's on something like a vacation.)